I got The Family Dinner from the library, and began reading it the other day. I found a recipe for panini, and decided to go ahead and make my very first one. I don't have a panini press, so went for the crazy contraption of frying pan on top of the sandwich with a teakettle full of water on top of that. BAJ said Alton Brown suggests doing the same to make grilled cheese, except he suggested to heat the frying pan that goes on top so you don't have to flip. Brilliant!
I took a loaf of ciabatta bread, and cut it in half for our use... it wasn't enough without a salad or something on the side. I then sliced it, and spread mayo on one half and Dijon on the other. I put some cheddar on each half... oven roasted turkey (expensive, but the Boar's Head was delicious) on one side, and topped with some very thin apple slices. I put some olive oil in the big frying pan and heated it up, cooked for about 3 minutes on each side.
I wish I had cooked it a little longer on each side, and at a lower temperature. The cheese wasn't quite melty enough and the top as starting to burn. Otherwise, this was awesomely delicious, the best part being when I got a bite of apple in with the other stuff. I can't believe how much I liked the Dijon mixed with apple!!
The book also suggested Nutella with banana, which I made for my still hungry husband. It was ok, but there needed to be a lot more of it than I used to stand up to the thickness of the ciabatta.
So, if you fear making a panini without a special tool for it, fear not!! This came out great, and while it didn't have the fancy grill marks, it was still delicious and pretty enough!
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